1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to raceway scoring systems, and more particularly relates to a raceway scoring system for use away from the raceway.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many professional sports owe a large portion of their success to avid fans who attend regularly or tune in to broadcast events whenever possible. Such fans also promote the sport by joining clubs, subscribing to fan magazines, purchasing sports memorabilia, and engaging in other activities that allow them to get involved in the sports events. Racing is one such sport that enjoys a loyal and enthusiastic following.
Consider for example the success of NASCAR racing. In 1998 there were over 6 million active adult collectors of racing memorabilia, and sales of NASCAR collectibles grossed just under one billion dollars. NASCAR""s television ratings are the fastest growing of any sport. In fact, NASCAR is making plans to start a 24 hour television network dedicated to racing, and they expect to reach as much as $300 million dollars per year in revenue within the decade. Over 60 Winston Cup team fan clubs are known to exist, and several other popular clubs and publications exist primarily for marketing racing collectibles.
Scores at racing events are ultimately determined according to the order in which the competitors complete the event, subject to certain rules concerning potential disqualification. Accordingly, one way to track the progression of a racing event is to establish a list of the competitors in order of their status relative to completion of the event. The competitor closest to completion is preferably listed first, the next-closest competitor listed second, the third closest listed third, etc. Such a list may be referred to as a ranking, the positions, or xe2x80x9cthe standingsxe2x80x9d. It may be preferred to list only a limited number of those competitors with the highest rankings, or it may be desired to provide a complete rankings list.
Systems for generating such lists are provided at many racing events where they can be viewed by the attendees. However, those not in attendance are largely unable to consult these systems, and consequently are unable to monitor the race in a timely fashion. Additionally, any information which is obtainable during the event typically concerns only those competitors in the top few standings. Consequently, the non-attendee fans would benefit from a commercially available standings display system that can be configured to display timely information during the event. The increased availability of timely information during events may be expected to promote the popularity of racing and benefit the sport as a whole.
Accordingly, a standings display system that can be used by individuals and small businesses to provide timely standings information during a race is herein disclosed. In one embodiment, the standings display includes a tower having an array of competitor number displays arranged vertically along the tower. The competitor number displays are configured to show competitor numbers in an order that indicates competitor positions during a race. The tower may also have a time display to show elapsed time during the race, a lap display to show the number of laps completed during the race, and a flag status display to show a current race condition. The standings display may be controllable via a handheld remote control. Preferably, the standings display includes a microcomputer with modem, and is configured to establisha dial-up connection to the internet for communicating with an information server. The standings display then receives regularly-updated information from the information server, and accordingly displays the latest standings. The standings display may be configured to monitor the phone line for evidence of incoming or outgoing calls, and may be configured to terminate any established connection and allow such calls to proceed normally. Upon detecting the completion of such calls, the standings display may automatically re-establish the dial-up connection.